How to use System Restore to fix your Windows 10 computer

System Restore lets you repair Windows 10 by turning back time to when things last worked properly.
This video shows you how to use System Restore to fix your computer, and how to check that System Restore is protecting your machine properly.

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[mistersmith]

I owned an IT business and PC Repair Shop for 12 years. You have done an exemplary job of explaining your content, in an easy to understand manner. I'm going to send this video to a friend who needs to restore to an earlier point.Great Video. Thanx for the video my Brother!!!

[hendricsanton]

How does installing a new software lead to me asking chan dae17 to fix my windows 10

[rushankjani]

Yes!
This works.
I'm so happy to see my laptop working again.
Thank you So much.

[GreystoneGuru]

Excellent explanation of system Restore. After waiting well over 25 minutes for the restore process to complete, I looked from another PC for an explanation of just HOW long it might take. It did complete, and restored function that had been corrupted "recently." Problem now is that the only culprit I can identify is a recent Microsoft OS update. I'll now make a practice of manually creating a restore point just before allowing another OS update!!

[ntw]

Thank you!! I updated the graphics driver a few days ago, & the option to connect to wifi had completely disappeared! When you said to check out latest installed programs, I remembered the updated I downloaded, I uninstalled it & restarted my computer, & YAY my wifi is working again!

[rukundorwomushana]

Oh my God. You have no idea what you have done.
I have been struggling for two days now to re-connect my laptop wifi and wanted way to restore my systems safely.

Just the first solution has helped solved the problem. THANK YOU. I see I get to keep my hair😅

[olek]

you’re tutorial was so fluent and easy to understand, thank you!

[ahmedzeghayat]

Bro Thank you so much i thought my pc was broken i was stuck in 1024x768 and couldn't hear anything you deserve a sub

[ialyangoi]

i watched your video kinda late because i just screwed up my laptop yesterday and spent a whole day to fix. however, your video will save me in the future. thank you so much!!

[ReginaDeanReed]

Dave's Tech Rescue, this was great information. Keep up the good work. You have inspired me to make more videos on my channel!

[aaronmalik]

Straight to the point, clear and concise. Excellent video

[robertdouble]

Dave's Tech rescue is good. Will keep this guy's info for future use. EXCELLENT.

[Jordanims]

Yo Dave! If I restore my system on my windows 10 laptop, is it gonna bring back all of my personal files last night? If so, I'm so relieved, grateful, and happy to subscribed to you!

[lordpickle]

Note for anyone reading: DON'T turn off or press the reset button if it seems like it's stuck. I did it last night after an hour and it deleted some dll and I couldn't install anything to try to fix it. I ended having to do a complete reinstallation of Windows 10. Luckily I just had some games on my computer, nothing meaningful.

[Odd_Nishant]

I've tried so many things to solve my problem of my own, i can't make it, i almost lost my hope then this video comes up and it is a miracle, my system is running perfect as it was before Thanks😊😊😊
😊😊😊😂

[eddieactivesky]

Thanks Dave. I was able to regain access to my computer after a bad Windows Update.

[grayisgood]

SYSTEM RESTORE: This will take a snapshot of some system files and registry and save as system restore points. You can then restore the computer to the state it was in when the restore point was created, including removing any newly installed apps or updates and the problems they might have caused. Windows creates a system restore point before it installs an update. The restore point must be created before the problem occurred to be able to fix the problem. Open system restore, click configure, turn on system protection. You can create your own system restore points, and you should do so before you install new programs or make any system changes. I keep a system restore shortcut on my desktop to remind me to use it because it's awesome. The restore points are only available for a short time, so make them often. Access system restore by going to the start menu and typing system restore. If windows won't start correctly, you can also access system restore from windows safe mode, holding shift while clicking restart, booting a windows installation usb, and booting a windows recovery drive usb.

SYSTEM FILE CHECK: If windows is just acting weird it can't hurt to run system file check. This checks and fixes corrupted system files, if it can. Open a command prompt as administrator and type: sfc/scannow. Let it run until it shows the results and you are able to type again. Access command prompt by clicking the start menu and typing command prompt, choose to run as administrator.

CHECK DISK: It also doesn't hurt anything to do check disk. In file explorer, right click on the drive, click properties, click tools, click check under error checking. It will check the drive for file system errors.

DOCUMENTS FOLDER: Move your documents folder to a different drive or partition than your system files and save all your personal files in there, including music, images, videos, software backups and database files, etc. For example, save your recipe app's cookbook to the documents folder. Save your spreadsheets to the documents folder. ALL your personal files. Save the folder to any internal, external, or network drive/partition that is not the windows partition. Right click your documents folder, click on properties, click on location, choose a location. This will save your personal files even in the event that you have to totally wipe the c: drive and reinstall windows because they will not be on the same drive/partition as windows. Doing this makes a corrupt windows installation far less painful.

BOOT MENU: Learn to access the boot menu, and to boot from a usb drive. You do not need to change the BIOS, which makes a permanent change. You can just use the boot menu to choose which drive to boot.

BACKUP/SYSTEM IMAGE: When your computer starts having problems is not a good time to make a backup, you will just copy the problems. You need to make a backup BEFORE your system has any problems. When you have your system set up the way you want it, and your favorite programs installed, and it's all good, do system file check and check disk (as described above) and MAKE A BACKUP. Keep the backup on an external drive and stash it away for a rainy day. Make another if/when you want an updated backup. Restoring a backup, also called a system image, will delete everything on the partition, and put your computer back to the same exact state it was in when you made the backup. It's a copy of everything: windows, installed programs, personal files (if they're on the windows partition). It's a large file, it takes a long while to create. You can restore it using a usb windows installation disk or a usb windows recovery drive. I believe you can install it to a new hard drive of the same or larger size. Access by typing backup in the start menu. Choose backup and restore (windows 7), create system image. Yes, they are trying to encourage you to use their servers for your backups, and scarily, might even be planning to remove the ability to create your own. If that happens you will need 3rd party software.

SYSTEM RESET: This removes all your installed programs, and reinstalls windows and any software provided by the manufacturer. It gives you the option to keep your personal files (that are on the system partition) and if you do, it also keeps your settings. If you choose not to keep personal files, you can wipe the partition in preparation for donation. It does not require a previously created anything, but it does require windows to be working well enough to do it. Access this by typing system reset or recovery in the start menu.

RECOVERY DRIVE: A recovery usb drive will let you recover full factory configuration using a hidden system partition called recovery. The original recovery partition must be intact. Recovery drive will completely wipe not only the partition, but the entire physical disk, DELETING ANY PARTITIONS YOU HAVE CREATED. It will remove all of your software and files, will reinstall windows and any software included by the manufacturer. I have found that the ability to successfully create a recovery drive vanishes, so if you want one, and you can make one, do it while you can. Once you have successfully created a recovery drive, you can create another by simply copying and pasting all the files to another usb drive. The recovery drive will only work on this one computer. Other things you can do with the recovery usb: startup repair, command prompt, uninstall windows updates, system restore (but you have to have previously created restore points available), system image recovery (if you have previously created a system backup), access UEFI firmware settings (which you can access without this usb), use a device (which you can do simply by booting to the desired device). I'm not sure if you can use the recovery drive on a new internal hard drive in this same computer. You create a usb recovery drive through windows by going to the start menu and typing recovery drive. To use the usb recovery drive, insert it in a usb port and boot to it.

INSTALLATION DISK: A windows installation disk will completely wipe the partition and install a fresh copy of windows. Your programs and files will be deleted. Any software provided by the computer manufacturer will not be reinstalled. It might overwrite your original system recovery partition, so that recovery option might be lost forever, I'm not sure. If it's a concern, you should find out before using this method to reinstall windows. This WILL NOT overwrite all other partitions on the physical disk, only the system partitions (two of which are hidden and I'm not sure if it overwrites the recovery but I think it probably does). It can be used on any computer, is not specific to the one that created it. Other things you can do with the installation usb: startup repair, command prompt, uninstall windows updates, system restore (but you have to have previously created restore points available), system image recovery (if you have previously created a backup system image), access UEFI firmware settings (which you can access without this usb, use a device (which you can do simply by booting to the desired device). To create a windows installation disk, get on microsoft's website, look up how to download your chosen windows version, use the installation media creator option to create a usb pen drive that will install windows. You should do this now because when your windows installation is so corrupt that you want to wipe the drive and reinstall it, you will probably not be able to get online and create an installation disk. Do it now and keep it safe. This way if you need it you will have it. Otherwise you're going to find yourself paying a computer guy who has an installation disk to reinstall windows on your computer. You can copy the files from the successful usb to another to create a second installation disk if you want to, it's faster than doing the downloading process again. To use the usb windows installation disk, insert it into a usb port and boot to it.

REDO RESCUE (a free usb drive creator): This is not a commercial, I am not affiliated with redo rescue. I'm just sharing information because these things will save you so much grief if your windows installation goes corrupt. After much searching and testing of free system backup creators I found a free a usb drive maker (an iso file that you burn to a usb pen drive) called Redo Rescue. It lets you do system backup, any partition backup, and restore to any drive of the same or larger size. I used it to make a second backup of my system just to have another backup and another method of installing a backup. It lets you use a file manager to access your files even if windows won't run, so those personal files are still accessible. It has a web browser so you can search online for help for your messed up windows installation. It has other stuff. To learn more and download the iso file, do a web search. To use the Redo Rescue usb, insert it to a usb port and boot to it.

I know these things from years of painful experience. Spend a few hours doing them and you will be ready in case of problems. Also, make creating system restore points a habit.

These solutions are all free, except for the cost of hardware (usb/external drives, internal or network drives), and don't require you to sign into microsoft. Unless they change that in the future.

[poelanoselema]

This dude is really saving people on the internet.

[joset.]

Thank you for this wonderful tutorial. Your explanation was easy to understand.

[necroticdemonart]

Thank you!!!! I need this after an update restarted my computer and got rid off all my personal info and files.